Oppose efforts to weaken oversight of animal labs

It’s a tragic fact that animal welfare regulations guiding the use of animals in laboratories are minimal, resulting in rampant violations of the Animal Welfare Act and terrible suffering for millions of animals.

Yet, in a disturbing move, new efforts by the animal experimentation industry are underway to cut back on already limited oversight. They are pushing to minimize transparency and accountability for animals in laboratories and implement fewer to no inspections with even less protection for animals.

Fill in the form above to send your letter to J. Michael Tuck, Facilitator, Center for Animal Welfare, USDA or email directly to james.m.tuck@aphis.usda.gov to ask USDA to reject the pro-animal experimentation community’s attempts to weaken oversight of animals in labs.

These pro-industry groups are using portions of the recently passed 21st Century Cures Act, which directs administrative agencies to “reduce the regulatory burden on researchers,” as an excuse for gutting current animal welfare regulations and oversight.

This is a total outrage. If implemented, the industry’s plan would give animal experimenters even more authority to regulate themselves and erode the already fragile protections, resulting in catastrophic consequences for animals.

Proponents of animal experiments are recommending reducing or eliminating inspections by USDA and/or turning them over to private companies such as the Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) which operates in cooperation with the animal research industry.

They are also recommending reducing oversight by institutional oversight committees (IACUCs) and weakening requirements for experimenters to search for non-animal alternatives and methods that minimize pain and distress.